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Thiel Accuses Pope of Chinese Ties, Warns AI Lag

7/4/2026

Summary

Thiel Accuses Pope

Peter Thiel accused Pope Leo XIV of serving Chinese Communist interests at Aspen Festival on July 3, 2026, and said May 2026 encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” calling for AI disarmament, would slow US in U.S.–China AI race.
He labeled pope a Chinese communist agent and warned of a democratic-socialist takeover of U.S. Democratic Party.
He backs U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and notes Vatican has not responded.

Summary

Pope Demands Disarmament

Pope Leo XIV’s 40,000-word encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” calls for AI disarmament and stronger global oversight.
The encyclical quotes Tolkien’s *Lord of the Rings*, a line that British media linked to Peter Thiel.
Francis Fukuyama co-hosted an Aspen Ideas Festival panel with Thiel while two Catholic universities denied involvement in Thiel’s Rome events.
Palantir’s software powers the system behind the U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s mass-deportation program, billions in federal contracts.

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Thiel Accuses Pope

Peter Thiel accused Pope Leo XIV of serving Chinese Communist interests at Aspen Festival on July 3, 2026, and said May 2026 encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” calling for AI disarmament, would slow US in U.S.–China AI race.
He labeled pope a Chinese communist agent and warned of a democratic-socialist takeover of U.S. Democratic Party.
He backs U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and notes Vatican has not responded.

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